The Closer: "Next of Kin" AdvanceReview

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Brenda and friends go home for the holidays.

By Robert Canning

For the second year in a row, TNT's summer series The Closer has produced a two-hour special to air in the month of December. Consider it a yearly holiday gift. Last year's special conformed to the continuity of 2006's season finale (remember the shootout in the Murder Room with Provenza being put on probation?), but this year we get a mostly stand-alone story that's solid from beginning to end. And with this year's product, the series gives us something we just can't get in the summertime: a Christmas episode.

"Next of Kin" has everything you could ask for in an episode of The Closer. The show is built around interrogations and there are a couple of great ones presented here. There is also a lot of great material for our supporting cast of characters, without whom the series just wouldn't be the same.

The episode begins with Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division taking over an investigation that Commander Taylor had been working on for the past eleven months. This sets up the kind of competitive dynamic between Brenda and Taylor that was missing from much of this past season. The case moves very quickly as the squad investigates the most recent in a string of armored car robberies, with this latest resulting in a double homicide. Before you know it, their lead suspect has fled the city. After a well-played interrogation of the suspect's little brother, we learn the criminal has fled to Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda's hometown.

So Brenda goes home for the holidays and brings Fritz with her. As you may have guessed from the scenario, much of this episode is spent on the lighter side, at times coming very close to being an outright comedy. Brenda's parents, who were in so many episodes last season they could almost be considered regulars, join the fun as they host Brenda and Fritz&#Array; and the suspect they've apprehended. Through a series of humorous events, including a great exchange at the local sheriff's department, both Provenza and Flynn find themselves joining the Johnson family in Atlanta. The time spent in Georgia is highly entertaining and the writers knew what they were doing by getting Flynn and Provenza involved with the situation.

Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer: ''Next of Kin''

At this point, the detectives are unable to fly to Los Angeles with their suspect and Brenda's father is eager to get the criminal element out of his home. Enter a decked out RV and a road trip for the Johnsons, Fritz, Provenza, Flynn and their suspect. This is where you might think the episode is going to go overboard with the comedy and become a hokey Christmas road trip special. But in fact, the cross-country trek marks the beginning of a stark change in tone for the episode.

Brenda finds herself getting caught up with trying to get her suspect to talk and makes some ethically questionable choices to achieve that goal. Meanwhile, Brenda's mother and father, whose hearts have not been hardened by years of police work, find themselves connecting with the suspect at their own levels. The ordeal leads to a powerful conclusion that you just don't see coming based on the lightheartedness of the first half. But this tonal change works and provides a significant emotional punch.

Stretched to two hours, the episode does drag a bit in parts. Plus, there's a slightly cliched ending that seems to be trying too hard to give "Next of Kin" a happy Christmas ending. But there's more to enjoy in this episode than there is to be bothered by. You should definitely join Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division for the holidays this year.